ROOM 7
Chapter Forty-Six: The Trick
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The afternoon sun streamed through the windows of Room 7. The festival was over. The guests had gone home. Ben and Joong left that morning. Percy had disappeared after the glue incident. Keiran and Keigan went back with their parents. The room was finally quiet. Sixteen beds. Sixteen people. No extra brothers. No uninvited interruptions.
Jay was hungry. She'd been hungry for an hour. She'd been eyeing David's chips for an hour. David was on his bed, reading, the bag of chips beside him. She could see them. She could almost taste them.
She reached for the bag.
Keifer caught her wrist. "No."
She stared at him. "No?"
"You're not eating chips."
"It's one chip."
"You'll spoil your dinner."
She grabbed the bag with her other hand. He grabbed her other wrist. She struggled. He held on.
"Keifer."
"Jay."
She yanked her hands free. Grabbed a chip. He snatched it from her fingers before it reached her mouth.
She stared at the empty space where the chip had been. Her eye twitched.
"You stole my chip."
"I saved you from a chip."
She grabbed another. He snatched it. Another. He snatched it. Another. He snatched it.
She grabbed the whole bag. He took the whole bag. Held it above his head. She jumped for it. He held it higher. She jumped again. He held it higher.
"Give it back."
"No."
She crossed her arms. Glared at him. "You're an idiot."
He raised an eyebrow. "What?"
"Idiot. Stupid. Brainless. Moron."
He stared at her. "Are you done?"
"No." She pointed at him. "Fuck you."
The room went quiet. Yuri's head snapped up. Mica dropped her spoon. Care looked up from her book. Cole's pen stopped moving. Freya lowered her camera. Ci N opened his notebook.
Keifer's ears went red. "What did you say?"
She held her chin up. "You heard me."
"Say it again."
"Fuck you."
He stepped closer. "Again."
"Fuck. You."
He grabbed her. Pushed her against the wall. His body was pressed against hers. His hands were flat on the wall beside her head. His face was inches from her face.
"If you use one more profanity," he said, "I'm going to kiss you."
She stared at him. Her face was red. Her heart was pounding. Her lips were parted.
"Asshole."
He kissed her.
She kissed him back. Her hands went to his hair. His hands went to her waist. The room was full of people. No one moved. No one breathed.
He pulled back. Her face was flushed. Her lips were swollen. Her eyes were wide.
"You kissed me," she said.
"You said asshole."
"That's not a profanity."
"It's adjacent."
She opened her mouth. He kissed her again. She kissed him back. The room was silent. Ci N's pen was moving.
He pulled back. Her face was red. His ears were red. Her hands were still in his hair. His hands were still on her waist.
"Sleep," he said.
She blinked. "What?"
"You're tired. You're hungry. You're cursing at me. You need to sleep."
She pushed his chest. "I don't need to sleep."
He picked her up. Carried her to his bed. Dropped her on the mattress. She bounced once. He climbed in beside her. Wrapped his arms around her. Pulled her head onto his chest.
"Sleep."
She struggled. "I'm not tired."
He held tighter. "Sleep."
"I don't want to sleep."
He kissed her forehead. "Then rest."
She huffed against his shirt. Her body went slack. Her hands uncurled. Her breathing slowed. He waited. Her eyes were still open. Her lip was still out.
"You're still pouting," he said.
She didn't answer.
He kissed her forehead again. "Go to sleep."
Her eyes closed. Her lip relaxed. Her breathing evened out. She was asleep.
He looked at the ceiling. The room was quiet. Yuri was staring. Mica was staring. Care was staring. Ci N was writing.
Keifer put his finger to his lips. Everyone looked away.
Ci N wrote: "Page 331. Father put Mother to sleep. Profanity used. Kisses exchanged. Probability of her waking before dinner: 34.2 percent."
Rakki looked at him. "You calculated that?"
He closed his notebook. "I calculate what matters."
She kissed his cheek. He held her hand.
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Part One: The Yapping
Across the room, Lyra was on the couch. She was supposed to be reading. Her book was open. Her eyes were on the page. Her lips were moving.
Care sat beside her. "What are you reading?"
Lyra closed the book. "Nothing."
"You were talking to yourself."
"I was thinking."
"You were talking to yourself about Alex."
Lyra's face went red. "I was not."
Rakki appeared on her other side. "You were. You said his name three times."
Lyra grabbed a pillow. Held it. "I did not."
Mica sat on the armrest. "You said 'the way he looks at me.'"
Freya walked over. "You said 'he always knows what I need.'"
Rakki smiled. "You said 'I want to touch his hair.'"
Lyra's face was the color of a fire truck. "That's— I was—"
Care raised an eyebrow. "You said 'I wonder if he's thinking about me right now.'"
Lyra threw the pillow. Care caught it.
"You have a catching problem," Lyra said.
Care tucked the pillow under her arm. "I have a Lyra problem."
"The worst kind."
Alex appeared behind the couch. "Lyra."
She froze. The five women scattered. Care went to Cole. Rakki went to Ci N. Mica went to Calix. Freya went to her camera. Everyone disappeared.
Alex stood behind the couch. His hands were in his pockets. His face was calm. His eyes were on her.
"You were talking about me."
She stared straight ahead. "I was reading."
"Freya has it on camera."
She closed her eyes. "I was thinking."
"Out loud."
She turned. Looked up at him. "Yes."
He stepped around the couch. Stood in front of her. "Are you done?"
She blinked. "What?"
"Are you done? Talking about me. Thinking about me. Wondering about me. Are you done?"
She stared at him. "No."
He stepped closer. "No?"
She crossed her arms. "No. I'm not done. I'm never done. I think about you all the time. I talk about you all the time. I wonder about you all the time. I—"
He grabbed her. Lifted her. Threw her over his shoulder.
Her feet kicked. Her hands hit his back. "ALEX. PUT ME DOWN."
He walked toward the door. "No."
"ALEX."
"You're not done. I'm taking you to the terrace. You can be not done there."
She hit his back. "I hate you."
He opened the door. "You don't hate me."
"I hate you right now."
He walked through the doorway. "You don't hate me right now."
She stopped hitting. Her body went limp over his shoulder. Her hair hung down. Her hands dangled.
"What do I hate?" she mumbled.
He smiled. "You hate that I'm taking you to the terrace."
She didn't answer. He carried her down the hallway. Up the stairs. The terrace door was already open. He carried her to the edge. Set her down. She stood in front of him, arms crossed, face red, hair messy.
"The terrace," she said.
"The terrace."
"You carried me here."
He smiled. "You were yapping."
She pushed his chest. "I was not yapping."
"You were yapping. Care. Rakki. Mica. Freya. All of them. Yapping about me."
She opened her mouth. "Fuck you, asshole."
She stuck out her tongue. Turned. Ran.
She ran across the terrace. Through the door. Down the stairs. Her feet slammed against the concrete. Her heart was pounding. Her face was burning. Her tongue was still out.
She burst through the door. The room turned. Yuri looked up. Mica looked up. Care looked up. Everyone looked up.
She ran to her bed. Grabbed her pillow. Held it. Her chest was heaving. Her face was red. Her tongue was still out.
The door opened. Alex walked in. His face was calm. His hands were in his pockets. His eyes were on her.
He walked toward her. She stepped back. He stepped forward. She stepped back again. Her back hit the wall.
He stopped in front of her. His hands were on the wall beside her head. His face was inches from hers.
"You ran," he said.
She held her chin up. "You chased me."
"I'll always chase you."
She stuck her tongue out again. He looked at her tongue. At her face. At her red cheeks. At the crop top she was wearing. Her waist was bare. A strip of skin between her jeans and her shirt.
His hand moved. His palm pressed against her waist. His fingers spread across her bare skin.
She went still. Her tongue disappeared. Her mouth closed. Her eyes went wide.
"Alex."
His thumb traced a slow circle on her hip. "You were yapping."
Her voice was barely a whisper. "I was not yapping."
"You were yapping." His thumb moved again. "You said my name three times."
She swallowed. "I did not."
"Freya has it on camera."
She stared at him. His hand was still on her waist. His thumb was still moving. Her skin was burning.
"Alex."
He leaned closer. His forehead touched hers. His voice was low.
"I think I want to use Keifer's trick."
She blinked. "What?"
He touched her face. His fingers traced her cheekbone. "If you say one more word, I'm going to kiss you."
She opened her mouth. He kissed her.
She kissed him back. Her hands went to his hair. His hand was still on her waist. His fingers pressed into her bare skin. The room was full of people. No one moved. No one breathed.
He pulled back. Her face was flushed. Her lips were swollen. Her eyes were bright.
"You kissed me," she said.
"You were about to speak."
She hit his chest. "I was not."
He caught her hand. Kissed her knuckles. "You were."
She opened her mouth. He kissed her again. She kissed him back.
He pulled back. Her face was red. His ears were red. Her hands were in his hair. His hand was still on her waist.
"Sleep," he said.
She blinked. "What?"
"You're tired. You're yapping. You ran away from me on the terrace. You need to sleep."
She pushed his chest. "I don't need to sleep."
He picked her up. Carried her to his bed. Dropped her on the mattress. She bounced once. He climbed in beside her. Wrapped his arms around her. Pulled her head onto his chest.
"Sleep."
She struggled. "I'm not tired."
He held tighter. "Sleep."
"I don't want to sleep."
He kissed her forehead. "Then rest."
She huffed against his shirt. Her body went slack. Her hands uncurled. Her breathing slowed. He waited. Her eyes were still open. Her lips were still puffy from kissing.
"You're still awake," he said.
She didn't answer.
He kissed her forehead again. "Go to sleep."
Her eyes closed. Her breathing evened out. She was asleep.
He looked at the ceiling. The room was quiet. Yuri was staring. Mica was staring. Care was staring. Ci N was writing.
Ci N wrote: "Page 332. Alex put Lyra to sleep. Waist touched. Kisses exchanged. Probability of her waking before dinner: 28.7 percent."
Rakki looked at him. "You calculated that?"
He closed his notebook. "I calculate what matters."
She kissed his cheek. He held her hand.
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Part Two: The Night
The room was quiet. Lyra was on Alex's bed. Her head was on his chest. His arm was around her. Her eyes were closed. She was sleeping. He was watching her breathe.
Jay was on Keifer's bed. Her head was on his chest. His arm was around her. The shark was on her pillow across the room. She didn't need it tonight.
"He put his hand on her waist," Jay said.
Keifer kissed her forehead. "He put his hand on her waist."
"She didn't curse at him after that."
He smiled. "She forgot how to curse."
She looked up at him. "You kissed me because I cursed at you."
He kissed her forehead again. "You said asshole."
She hit his chest. "That's not a curse."
"It's adjacent."
She opened her mouth. He kissed her. She kissed him back.
From across the room, Ci N's voice: "Page 333. Goodnight recorded. Probability of more goodnights: 100 percent."
"Ci N," Jay said.
"I'm sleeping."
"You're talking."
"I'm sleeping and talking. My brain works at one hundred sixty percent. I can do both."
"Ci N."
"Goodnight, Mother. Goodnight, Father."
She smiled into Keifer's chest. "Goodnight, Ci N."
The room was quiet. Sixteen people breathing. Sixteen people who had become something more than roommates. Something that didn't need a name.
Jay closed her eyes. Keifer was beside her. Lyra was sleeping. Alex was watching. Tomorrow would bring more chaos, more laughter, more interruptions. But tonight, everyone was exactly where they needed to be.
She slept.
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End of Chapter Forty-Six